American #surgeon who was a pioneer in #heart #transplant surgery. He began (1967) the heart tran…
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American #surgeon who was a pioneer in #heart #transplant surgery. He began (1967) the heart transplantation program at Stanford Medical Center. On 6 Jan 1968, he performed the first heart transplant in the U.S. on Mike Kasperak, 54, who survived for 15 days afterwards. Shumway spent years researching ways to extend life after a transplant. His team found a way to identify rejection early, so #powerful #immunosuppressants were used only when needed. From late 1980, using the new anti-rejection drug #cyclosporine which didn't destroy the body's defenses against infection, heart transplants became a common procedure. In 1981, with Dr. Bruce Reitz, he performed the world's first combined heart and #lung transplant.
